Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh have developed a new 3D bioprinting method that can produce any part of the heart, from tiny capillaries through to full-scale heart components.

 

Using human cardiac muscle cells, the team could even make a structure that contracts and functions similarly to a real heart.

 

“What we’ve shown is that we can print pieces of the heart out of cells and collagen into parts that truly function, like a heart valve or a small beating ventricle,” said Adam Feinberg, the Biomedical Engineer whose lab conducted the research. ancroft | Shutterstock Collagen a major protein that maintains structural integrity The specialized cells that make up various body organs are held together by the a network of proteins called the extracellular matrix. Collagen, a major protein that plays a key role in this structural integrity, is a highly desirable biomaterial for engineers working on 3D bioprinters. […]

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